Italian Party Flank Steak

This flank steak recipe is one of our favorites for company and family get-togethers. A large flank steak is first butterflied, then marinated in an olive oil and vinegar marinade, then layered with prosciutto, basil, Parmesan, roasted red bell peppers, and parsley, then rolled up, tied, and roasted in the oven. To serve, the steak is cut into rounds.

Prep:2 hours, 10 minutes

Cook:30 minutes

Yield:Serves 4.

Trader Joe's sells a jar of roasted red peppers that work well as a substitute for roasting your own. Recipe preparation time: marinade 2 hours, prep and cook 1 hour.

Ingredients

Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

2 coves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper

Flank steak:

1 flank steak (3/4 in thick, about 1 1/4 lbs), butterflied

2 red bell peppers

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

6 to 8 thin slices of prosciutto or other cured ham

24 medium sized fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 bunch watercress for garnish

Kitchen string

Method

1 To butterfly the steak, orient it first so that the meat grain is running up and down in front of you. Use a long, sharp knife to cut the meat in half, cutting from the side, and going almost all the way across, leaving 1-inch at the edge uncut (the hinge). The butterfly hinge should be in the same direction as the grain of the meat. Open the flaps of the steak. You can even out the middle if you want so that the center is not as thick.

2 Assemble the marinade and marinate the steak for 2 hours.

3 Broil halved peppers until skin is black, remove skin.

4 Preheat oven to 350°F. Place steak opened on long piece of aluminum foil or wax paper, save marinade. Cover steak with red pepper, sprinkle 1 tbsp of parsley, cover with proscuitto slices, cover with basil leaves, sprinkle with Parmesan and the remaining parsley and pepper.

5 Roll meat up from the bottom like a jellyroll; grain of steak should run length of roll. Tie in 2-3 inch intervals with kitchen string. Place in shallow baking dish, pour marinade over top. Bake for 30 minutes, basting twice. Let rest 15 minutes before serving. Cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick slices, garnish with watercress.

This recipe has been floating around the Internet for years. We found it in a magazine maybe 15 or 20 years ago and have a photocopied clipping, but don't have the actual source. If you know in what publication this recipe was first published, and the date, please let us know in the comments, so we can properly give credit to the source.